Method and system for automated project management

• US 9,342,806 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2013
• Issued: 05/17/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: J. Fletcher Creamer & Son, Inc. (APi Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: P800X, LLC
• Inventors: Urban, Daniel R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Boswell, Beth V
• Assistant Examiner(s): Anderson, Folashade
• Application Number:
  US13/780,583
• Publication Number:
  US 20140244329A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,174 Days
• Field of Search: 705/7.15
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063114 Status monitoring or status determination for a person or group

Abstract

A method and system for method for automated work project management. The methods and systems described herein provides for a total end-to-end business solution that will receive a data relating to a new work project, allow dispatching a job in a territory to a desired worker, allow quality assurance to be included as part of the dispatch, automatically track worker time and generate an invoice for the project, and provide analytics and feedback to the business on improving its product or service.

Claims

1. A method for automated work project management, comprising:

receiving on an application on a server network device with one more processors via a communications network a plurality of photographs or videos for a plurality of physical geographic locations collected by a camera component one or more mobile target network devices with one or more processors, the plurality of photographs or videos including pre-existing physical components located at the plurality of physical geographic locations;

storing from the application on the server network device with one or more processors in a database associated with the server network device, a plurality of analytics comprising the received plurality of photographs or videos for the plurality of physical geographic locations, a determined plurality of types of workers and a determined plurality of types of resources required to complete a determined plurality of different types of projects at the plurality of physical geographic locations determined from the pre-existing physical components located at the plurality of physical geographic locations;

receiving securely a new electronic work order on the application on the server network device via the communications network from a requesting network device with one or more processors, wherein the electronic work order includes a new project to be completed and a type of worker and a type of resources required to complete the new project;

storing from the application on the server network device the new electronic work order in the database associated with the server network device;

determining automatically from the application on the server network device a physical geographic location of the new project with a street address from the new electronic work order;

identifying from the application on the server network device the determined physical geographic location of the new project with a new unique graphical identifier;

determining automatically from the application on the server network device with stored analytics from the database including the stored photographs or videos for the determined physical geographic location, the type of worker and the type of resources required to complete a project at the determined physical geographic location including the pre-existing physical components located at the determined physical geographic location,

whether the type of worker and the type of resources included in the received new electronic work order are appropriate to complete the new project at the determined physical geographic location with the pre-existing physical components located at the determined physical geographic location, and if not,

adjusting automatically from the application on the server network device the type of worker and the type of resources required to complete the new project at the determined physical geographic location with the pre-existing physical components located at the determined physical geographic location;

adding from the application on the server network device the new unique graphical identifier to an electronic map including a plurality of current geographic physical locations of a plurality of mobile target network devices for a plurality of workers who are able to complete the new project, wherein the electronic map includes a plurality of different territories;

determining automatically from the application on the server network device which territory includes the new unique graphical identifier for the new project;

determining automatically from the application on the server network device via the communications network which mobile target network device for a worker in the determined territory is closest to the determined physical geographic location of the new project and is available to complete the new project;

sending an electronic work project message from the application on the server network device via the communications network to a second application on the mobile target network device with one or more processors for the worker that the worker has been selected to complete the new project in the determined territory, wherein the electronic work project message includes an embedded image or an embedded Uniform Resource Locator (URL) that is not visible to the worker to track the new project;

tracking automatically from the application on the server network device current physical geographic locations of the mobile target network device with Global Positioning System (GPS) data received from the mobile target network device via the communications network by comparing the GPS data received from the mobile target network device with physical geographical location data for the determined physical geographic location for the new project included in the embedded image or the embedded URL for the new project;

tracking automatically from the application on the server network device via the communications network via the embedded image or the embedded URL for the new project an amount of time required by the mobile target network device to reach the determined physical geographic location of the new project;

tracking automatically from the application on the server network device via the communications network via the embedded image or the embedded URL for the new project an amount of time the mobile target network device is located at the determined physical geographic location of the new project;

receiving one or more start and stop messages on the application server network device via the communications network from the second application on the mobile target network device when the worker has started or stopped work the new project, wherein a first starting message includes a first digital photograph of the new project before the new project was started;

receiving a completion message on the application on the server network device via the communications network from the second application on the mobile target network device when the worker has completed the new project;

comparing on the application on the server network device a second digital photograph included in the completion message to the first digital photograph to determine any changes made between the first digital photograph and the second digital photograph at the determined physical location to further verify completion of the new project at the determined physical geographic location by the worker;

storing from application on the server network device in the database the first and second digital photographs as additional analytics for determined physical geographic location;

verifying automatically on the application on the server network device the new project has been completed with the tracked amount of time the mobile target network device was located at the determined physical geographic location of the new project;

generating automatically an electronic invoice from the application on the server network device for completion of the new project; and

sending securely the generated electronic invoice from the application on the server network device via the communications network back to the requesting network device for payment.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the communications network includes a cloud communications network comprising one or more public networks, one or more private networks, one or more community networks and one or more hybrid networks and wherein the cloud communications network includes on-demand automatic secure electronic document services and broadband network access, resource pooling, rapid elasticity and measured network services for cloud automatic secure electronic document services.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the application on the server network device and the second application on the mobile target network devices provide a cloud computing Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), a cloud computing Platform, as a Service (PaaS) and offers Specific cloud electronic document services as a Service (SaaS) including a cloud software service, wherein the IaaS, PaaS and SaaS include one or more of automatic electronic document services comprising networking, storage, server network device, virtualization, operating system, middleware, run-time, data or application services, or plural combinations thereof, on the cloud communications network.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein communications via the communications network are sent and received securely using a Wireless Encryption Protocol (WEP), Wireless-Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA), Robust Security Network (RSN), Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), Data Encryption Standard (DES), Triple Data Encryption Standard (3DES), Secure Hash Algorithm (SHA), Message Digest-5 (MD-5), Electronic Code Book (ECB), Diffie and Hellman (DH), HyperText Transport Protocol Secure, (HTTPs), Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), or a Transport Layer Security (TLS) security method.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein server network devices and the mobile target network devices include wireless networking interfaces comprising a Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax) wireless networking interface with 4^th generation (4G) wireless speeds for communicating with the communications network.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the second application on the mobile target network device includes a smart application for a smart phone or a tablet computer mobile target network device.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the starting message includes a biometric or other unique identifier for the worker that has started the new project.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the biometric includes an iris scan, retinal scan, fingerprint, handwriting recognition, face recognition, voice recognition or DNA biometric.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the first and second digital photographs are replaced by first and second videos and the first and second videos are real-time videos.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the amount of time required by the mobile target network device to reach the determined physical geographic location of the new project and the amount of time the mobile target network device is located at the determined physical geographic location of the new project is stored in the database associated with the server network device.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the storing steps include storing information in the database with Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP).

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving one or more object location messages on the application on the server network device via the communications network from the second application on the mobile target network device located at the determined physical geographic location of the new project, wherein the one or more object location messages include physical location information for one or more relevant objects determined in real-time with the mobile target network device;

storing from the application on the server network device the determined physical location information of the one or more relevant objects in the database associated with the server network device; and

displaying in real-time from the application on the server network device on the electronic map one or more graphical objects indicating the determined physical location for each of the one or more relevant objects.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

sending one or more object location messages on the second application on the mobile target network device located at the determined physical geographic location of the new project via the communications network to the application on the server network device, wherein the one or more object location messages include physical location information for one or more relevant objects determined in real-time with the mobile target network device;

sending one or more digital photographs from the second application on the mobile target network device located at the determined physical geographic location of the new project via the communications network to the application on the server network device; and

displaying in real-time from the second application on the mobile target network device the electronic map including one or more new graphical objects indicating the determined physical location for each of the one or more relevant objects.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

preventing worker fraud by automatically tracking progress from the application on the server network device for the new project with the embedded image or the embedded URL that is not visible to the worker included with the new project.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the determined physical geographic location is determined with Global Positioning Satellite (GPS), data, Geo-coding data, electronic map data, three-dimensional (3D) (X, Y, Z) geo-coordinate data, or mobile phone cell tower location information data.

16. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

displaying in real-time from the application on the server network device the electronic map on a multi-windowed graphical user interface for viewing on the server network device.

17. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

displaying in real-time from the application on the server network device the entire electronic map or a selected portion thereof on a multi-windowed graphical user interface for viewing on second application the mobile target network device.

18. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

updating automatically in real-time from the application on the server network device the electronic map anytime any data associated with a new order changes.

19. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored therein a plurality of instructions configured for causing one or more processor on one or more network devices to execute the steps of:

receiving on an application on a server network device with one more processors via a communications network a plurality of photographs or videos for a plurality of physical geographic locations collected by a camera component one or more mobile target network devices with one or more processors, the plurality of photographs or videos including pre-existing physical components located at the plurality of physical geographic locations;

storing from the application on the server network device with one or more processors in a database associated with the server network device, a plurality of analytics comprising the received plurality of photographs or videos for the plurality of physical geographic locations, a determined plurality of types of workers and a determined plurality of types of resources required to complete a determined plurality of different types of projects at the plurality of physical geographic locations determined from the pre-existing physical components located at the plurality of physical geographic locations;

receiving securely a new electronic work order on the application on the server network device via the communications network from a requesting network device with one or more processors, wherein the electronic work order includes a new project to be completed and a type of worker and a type of resources required to complete the new project;

storing from the application on the server network device the new electronic work order in the database associated with the server network device;

determining automatically from the application on the server network device a physical geographic location of the new project with a street address from the new electronic work order;

identifying from the application on the server network device the determined physical geographic location of the new project with a new unique graphical identifier;

determining automatically from the application on the server network device with stored analytics from the database including the stored photographs or videos for the determined physical geographic location, the type of worker and the type of resources required to complete a project at the determined physical geographic location including the pre-existing physical components located at the determined physical geographic location,

whether the type of worker and the type of resources included in the received new electronic work order are appropriate to complete the new project at the determined physical geographic location with the pre-existing physical components located at the determined physical geographic location, and if not,

adjusting automatically from the application on the server network device the type of worker and the type of resources required to complete the new project at the determined physical geographic location with the pre-existing physical components located at the determined physical geographic location;

adding from the application on the server network device the new unique graphical identifier to an electronic map including a plurality of current geographic physical locations of a plurality of mobile target network devices for a plurality of workers who are able to complete the new project, wherein the electronic map includes a plurality of different territories;

determining automatically from the application on the server network device which territory includes the new unique graphical identifier for the new project;

determining automatically from the application on the server network device via the communications network which mobile target network device for a worker in the determined territory is closest to the determined physical geographic location of the new project and is available to complete the new project;

sending an electronic work project message from the application on the server network device via the communications network to a second application on the mobile target network device with one or more processors for the worker that the worker has been selected to complete the new project in the determined territory, wherein the electronic work project message includes an embedded image or an embedded Uniform Resource Locator (URL) that is not visible to the worker to track the new project;

tracking automatically from the application on the server network device current physical geographic locations of the mobile target network device with Global Positioning System (GPS) data received from the mobile target network device via the communications network by comparing the GPS data received from the mobile target network device with physical geographical location data for the determined physical geographic location for the new project included in the embedded image or the embedded URL for the new project;

tracking automatically from the application on the server network device via the communications network via the embedded image or the embedded URL for the new project an amount of time required by the mobile target network device to reach the determined physical geographic location of the new project;

tracking automatically from the application on the server network device via the communications network via the embedded image or the embedded URL for the new project an amount of time the mobile target network device is located at the determined physical geographic location of the new project;

receiving one or more start and stop messages on the application server network device via the communications network from the second application on the mobile target network device when the worker has started or stopped work the new project, wherein a first starting message includes a first digital photograph of the new project before the new project was started;

receiving a completion message on the application on the server network device via the communications network from the second application on the mobile target network device when the worker has completed the new project;

comparing on the application on the server network device a second digital photograph included in the completion message to the first digital photograph to determine any changes made between the first digital photograph and the second digital photograph at the determined physical location to further verify completion of the new project at the determined physical geographic location by the worker;

storing from application on the server network device in the database the first and second digital photographs as additional analytics for determined physical geographic location;

verifying automatically on the application on the server network device the new project has been completed with the tracked amount of time the mobile target network device was located at the determined physical geographic location of the new project;

generating automatically an electronic invoice from the application on the server network device for completion of the new project; and

sending securely the generated electronic invoice from the application on the server network device via the communications network back to the requesting network device for payment.

20. A system for automated work project management, comprising in combination:

means for receiving on an application on a server network device with one more processors via a communications network a plurality of photographs or videos for a plurality of physical geographic locations collected by a camera component one or more mobile target network devices with one or more processors, the plurality of photographs or videos including pre-existing physical components located at the plurality of physical geographic locations;

means for storing from the application on the server network device with one or more processors in a database associated with the server network device, a plurality of analytics comprising the received plurality of photographs or videos for the plurality of physical geographic locations, a determined plurality of types of workers and a determined plurality of types of resources required to complete a determined plurality of different types of projects at the plurality of physical geographic locations determined from the pre-existing physical components located at the plurality of physical geographic locations;

means for receiving securely a new electronic work order on the application on the server network device via the communications network from a requesting network device with one or more processors, wherein the electronic work order includes a new project to be completed and a type of worker and a type of resources required to complete the new project;

means for storing from the application on the server network device the new electronic work order in the database associated with the server network device;

means for determining automatically from the application on the server network device a physical geographic location of the new project with a street address from the new electronic work order;

means for identifying from the application on the server network device the determined physical geographic location of the new project with a new unique graphical identifier;

means for determining automatically from the application on the server network device with stored analytics from the database including the stored photographs or videos for the determined physical geographic location, the type of worker and the type of resources required to complete a project at the determined physical geographic location including the pre-existing physical components located at the determined physical geographic location,

whether the type of worker and the type of resources included in the received new electronic work order are appropriate to complete the new project at the determined physical geographic location with the pre-existing physical components located at the determined physical geographic location, and if not,

means for adjusting automatically from the application on the server network device the type of worker and the type of resources required to complete the new project at the determined physical geographic location with the pre-existing physical components located at the determined physical geographic location;

means for adding from the application on the server network device the new unique graphical identifier to an electronic map including a plurality of current geographic physical locations of a plurality of mobile target network devices for a plurality of workers who are able to complete the new project, wherein the electronic map includes a plurality of different territories;

means for determining automatically from the application on the server network device which territory includes the new unique graphical identifier for the new project;

means for determining automatically from the application on the server network device via the communications network which mobile target network device for a worker in the determined territory is closest to the determined physical geographic location of the new project and is available to complete the new project;

means for sending an electronic work project message from the application on the server network device via the communications network to a second application on the mobile target network device with one or more processors for the worker that the worker has been selected to complete the new project in the determined territory, wherein the electronic work project message includes an embedded image or an embedded Uniform Resource Locator (URL) that is not visible to the worker to track the new project;

means for tracking automatically from the application on the server network device current physical geographic locations of the mobile target network device with Global Positioning System (GPS) data received from the mobile target network device via the communications network by comparing the GPS data received from the mobile target network device with physical geographical location data for the determined physical geographic location for the new project included in the embedded image or the embedded URL for the new project;

means for tracking automatically from the application on the server network device via the communications network via the embedded image or the embedded URL for the new project an amount of time required by the mobile target network device to reach the determined physical geographic location of the new project;

means for tracking automatically from the application on the server network device via the communications network via the embedded image or the embedded URL for the new project an amount of time the mobile target network device is located at the determined physical geographic location of the new project;

means for receiving one or more start and stop messages on the application server network device via the communications network from the second application on the mobile target network device when the worker has started or stopped work the new project, wherein a first starting message includes a first digital photograph of the new project before the new project was started;

means for receiving a completion message on the application on the server network device via the communications network from the second application on the mobile target network device when the worker has completed the new project;

means for comparing on the application on the server network device a second digital photograph included in the completion message to the first digital photograph to determine any changes made between the first digital photograph and the second digital photograph at the determined physical location to further verify completion of the new project at the determined physical geographic location by the worker;

means for storing from application on the server network device in the database the first and second digital photographs as additional analytics for determined physical geographic location;

means for verifying automatically on the application on the server network device the new project has been completed with the tracked amount of time the mobile target network device was located at the determined physical geographic location of the new project;

means for generating automatically an electronic invoice from the application on the server network device for completion of the new project;

means for sending securely the generated electronic invoice from the application on the server network device via the communications network back to the requesting network device for payment;

means for receiving one or more object location messages on the application on the server network device via the communications network from the second application on the mobile target network device located at the determined physical geographic location of the new project, wherein the one or more object location messages include physical location information for one or more relevant objects determined in real-time with the mobile target network device;

means for storing from the application on the server network device the determined physical location information of the one or more relevant objects in the database associated with the server network device;

means for displaying in real-time from the application on the server network device on the electronic map one or more graphical objects indicating the determined physical location for each of the one or more relevant objects;

means for querying from the application on the server network device the database associated with the server network device to determine if the new work order can be completed at the determined physical geographic location, and if not,

means for adjusting or canceling the new work order based on the database query,

means for sending securely an adjustment message from the application on the server network device via the communications network back to the requesting network device indicating the new work order has been adjusted or canceled; and

means for collecting and storing analytics for the new project and the worker who completed the new project.